Tagging scheme

Bus routes

Until 2014, nearly all London bus routes used a simple route relation structure, where editors tried to fit both directions into one relation.

The route structure caused problems with ordering, because on some routes buses use the same way in the same bearing, regardless of direction (sic).

Hadw has suggested that the route_master relation structure should gradually replace the route structure, to resolve the poblem above.

Routes that are moving operators or adopting Borismasters will have priority in the conversion to the route_master structure.

Bus stops

OpenStreetMap is falling behind in rolling out bus TfL's stop codes: Since October 2011, TfL's own system of five-digit bus stop codes allowed users to request real-time departure information from the Countdown service, or mobile telephones: the codes have no relationship to NaPTAN. In Spring 2014, Amaroussi trialled the new bus stop scheme along Route 30 between Essex Road and Angel Station via Highbury Corner: since 14 August 2014, the new scheme became part of the London public transport tagging scheme, with bus stops along Sloane Street being the first to change over.

OpenStreetMap requires more users to convert bus stops to the new scheme: users should move existing but dated NaPTAN tags to the platforms of existing bus stops.

Bus stops don't require tagged references to the routes they serve: bus route relations can now reference stops directly, under the role "stop". Hopefully, JOSM will add the ability to order nodes in addition to routes.

To conserve the length of this article, the table below omits NaPTAN tags.